With the recent reports of smartphone market share beginning to pour in, Kantar Worldpanel data
reports tremendous growth year over year (YoY) for Windows Phone 8. From last April until this
April, Windows Phone has increased it's footprint by nearly 50%. It has reached nearly 7% market
penetration on Verizon and this is without the highly lauded Lumia 928, which just recently became
available.

Even more surprising is the numbers coming over from Europe. Windows Phone 8 has exceeded 10%
market share in Italy and is fast approaching that number in the Great Britain market. Only
Android has consistently outpaced Windows in growth. As you look at the percentages, Android's
gains are relatively small compared to Windows. iOS percentage continues to decline in half of
the markets.

Blackberry has lost share in all the markets. Even with the new launch of BB10, their shares
continue to erode. I anticipate that Blackberry will be gone within the next 12-24 months.
Unless they find a way to maintain profitability with their government contracts, it looks like
this market is quickly becoming a trio-poly.

If you follow the Windows go to market strategy even further, Nokia and Microsoft have been pushing
out lower end devices at really bargain prices. Most people don't know this: Android's market
dominance has more to do with the low end, rental phones and cheap phones than the $640 Samsung
Galaxy 3 and 4.

As people's 2 year contacts continue to expire, more and more people will jump ship and pick up a
new Windows Phone. And after seeing some of the leaked shots of iOS 7, I expect that update will
greatly disappoint many Apple fanboys, while Android is still struggling to get past it's anemic
updates to Jelly Bean.

Couple that with the newly released 928 on Verizon and the stunning 925 on T-Mobile, Microsoft's
shares will continue to climb and take over the #2 spot in many more markets in the coming months
and years.